


The Way You Feel

by logicality_stan



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-09-05 07:52:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16806505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/logicality_stan/pseuds/logicality_stan
Summary: Logan Berry is a therapist who barely understands emotion. Patton Picani is a excitable young journalist with a passion for baking. Something is stirring under the streets of London, and it's nearly ready to emerge. Will the two manage to get along long enough to protect the people they love, or will they perish alongside the rest of Logan's hometown?





	1. Prologue

Drip.

Drip.

Drop.

Patton hated the rain. It was always so dark and chilly, and his brother tended to stay tucked away in his room sleeping during storms. Too cold for him, he says. As for Patton, he'd end up stuck in the main room every time it rained. You'd usually find him typing away at his laptop, eyebrows furrowed with determination. Either that or sprawled on the floor groaning with frustration, as he lacks ideas or cannot find a specific word. Today, it was the latter.

"Ughhh..." Moans Patton, rubbing his face roughly with his hands, "What in the world am I supposed to write this month's story about?" He throws his hands out in front of him, bracelets dangling from each arm. Most of them were made of string or leather, gifts from his brother or the children from the library he volunteered at, but one of them was a thick grey rubber band. 'MCR' was written on it in black, and it was a gift an old friend of his got after attending a 'My Chemical Romance' concert together. Patton's gaze lingers on that bracelet for a moment, his frustration melting away and leaving a small smile on his face. He sits up slowly and pulls a cellphone from his pants pocket. It was encased by an orange cat phone case.

"Virgil know's what's hip with the kids... Besides, I haven't heard from him in a good while. I wonder what the kiddo's been up to." Patton mumbles to himself, opening his contacts application and clicking one "Virgil Sanders". He pulls the phone up to his ear as it begins to ring, and waits a good three seconds before a groggy voice picks up.

"Hello? Who is--"

"VIRGIL!" Patton says excitedly, and a bit too loudly as he hears a banging from his brother's room, upon hearing the unenthused voice over the speaker. He hears a yelping from over the phone and bites back a snicker.

"Pat... Couldn't you stand to be a little more quiet with your greetings? You nearly gave me a heart attack." This statement elicits a chuckle from Patton.

"Puh-lease, Virge! I wasn't THAT loud." He protests with a laugh. He smiles a bit wider than he had been before and allows himself to fall back onto the floor. "How've you been?"

"Fine, I guess... Got fired from that stupid bakery, so that sucks. Switched therapists, too. Worst of all, I've gotta marry some idiot actor 'cuz I love him. Gross." Virgil says, feigning disgust. Patton jolts up yet again and squeals.

"Hold on just one second, kiddo! You're getting married?! Who's the lucky guy??"

"I am, eventually. We're still trying to plan it all out, but I'm sure it'll be fine. The the lucky guy is Roman. Remember him?"

"Ro?" Patton questions, the corners of his mouth twitching downwards a bit. Virgil snickers.

"Yup." He replies plainly.

"But I thought you hated that guy, Virge. I couldn't get the two of you in the same room for five minutes without you two bickering and fighting!" Patton says, lowering his voice a bit.

"Oh, yeah, I still do hate him. Just marrying the guy for the money he'll make acting. Because, y'know, theater is totally a stable career." Virgil retorts, his voice heavy with sarcasm. Patton pauses for a moment, unsure of how to reply. "Goodness, I'm joking Pat. Our dynamic is a bit different than it was way back when. We've got you to blame for that."

"Oh? Well, I'm glad to hear it!"

"I bet you are." Virgil says. The call falls silent for a moment, and Patton begins to get nervous.

"Virge?"

"Oh, right. Sorry, Pat."

"Is something wrong, kiddo?" Patton questions, concern coating his voice. Virgil sighs, laughing softly.

"Something's always wrong for me, Pat." Virgil replies plainly. Patton frowns.

"Virge?"

"You should visit sometime. Princey and I miss you." Virgil says quickly. His nervousness was obvious. Patton sighs.

"I miss you guys too, but I don't have the money to travel. Besides, what about my brother? You hate him! London's just too far, kid." Patton replies. He couldn't hide the disappointment in his voice.

"Roman and I could take care of your travel fares, Patt. You could stay with us. As for your brother, just leave him behind for a week or two. I doubt that he'd miss you."

"I can't just leave Darius behind! Besides, he'd miss me dearly and you know it. I'm his baby brother."

"Yes, you can leave him behind. All that guy does is lie and cheat. He's more manipulative than any other guy I know. Considering the fact that one of Roman's exes is a lawyer, that says a lot." Virgil says, venom practically dripping from his voice. Patton groans with indignation.

"Virgil, he's my brother!" Patton replies sharply, causing the other end of the phone to go silent.

"Yeah. He is. I've got to go Patton, Roman's going to be home with dinner soon. I'll talk to you later." Virgil mutters.

"Hey, I'm sorry for yelling Virge." Patton says softly. Virgil scoffs.

"Whatever. Call me if you decide to visit, 'kay?

"Of course, kiddo. Bye-bye."

"Yeah, later."

Patton stares down at his phone with a frown. He'd upset Virgil, plus he didn't have a clue what he could write about the month. He sighs and shuts it off, standing up and tucking it away. Maybe he should check on Darius. Make him some hot cocoa, even. Patton glances out the window to see the rain still pouring down. Heading for the kitchen, Patton begins to hum softly. A Disney song that his buddy Roman wouldn't shut up about a few years ago. His Junior year with that guy was full of show-tunes and laughter. Patton smiles to himself at the memory as he begins Darius' hot chocolate. It's a cute idea, his two best friend getting married. He couldn't help but worry for them, however, because the two never seemed to get along. This was the first time Virgil's mentioned a romantic relationship with Roman. The first mention was of marriage. Last time he spoke with Virgil, the two were only roommates... Now they're to get married. Forever. No matter, though. His top priority was this month's story. He couldn't afford a slip-up in a field as cut-throat as his was. Who'd would've figured that journalism was such a violent industry? Not Patton, that's for sure.

"Patti?" A tired voice rings from behind Patton, causing him to jump and nearly drop the mug he held. He turns to see his older brother and grins widely at him, laughing off the scare. 

"Heya Darius! Want some cocoa?" Patton offers, causing Darius to laugh softly. He shakes his head, a small smile on his face.

"Naw, I'm not a big chocolate person. Besides, shouldn't you be working on your column, or whatever?" He responds softly, ruffling his brother's lavender hair as he passes and opens the refrigerator. Patton frowns slightly.

"Right, right... I should be, but I can't think of any 'hip' and 'relatable' topics. What's cool with the kids, D?"

"First of all, don't talk like that. You sound like a Dad clinging to his fleeting youth, y'know? Second," Darius pauses to pull a can of ginger-ale from the fridge, slamming the door and leaning against the counter opposite Patton, "Video games are pretty popular. Also, I've heard about this one YouTuber whose rep is blowing up. His channel leaves much to be desired, though. Broadway is gaining ground, but that'd be kinda lame, I think. There's also--"

"Broadway?" Patton interjects, perking up immediately. Darius raises a brow, shrugging.

"Yeah, what of it?" He questions, causing Patton to regain his bright smile. He sets the mug down gingerly before grabbing his phone from his pocket.

"Roman acts! I could do a column on Broadway, or theater, or something! I could interview him as a professional! And it's the perfect excuse to visit my boys, to boot!" Patton exclaims, already punching numbers into his phone. Darius scoffs, snatching Pattons phone from him and shutting it off.

"Now Patton, why would you want to do that? I think that digging up dirt on that youtuber would be the easiest idea. Most popular too, I'd say."

"Virgil wanted me to visit, and this is the perfect excuse! Why wouldn't I want to do that?" Patton retorts, tugging his phone back from his older brother and sticking his tongue out. Darius sighs, shaking his head.

"You're going to visit the emo and leave your brother behind? What happened to sibling loyalty?"

"Who said I was leaving you behind?" Patton questions with a smirk, turning his phone back on. Darius snickers, rolling his eyes.

"Well, I'm certainly not visiting my ex. Besides, I couldn't possible survive a day back in Miami. Not with those mosquitoes. It's worse there than it is here, I'll tell you."

"How does London sound, though?"

"London?"

"Yeah, London! Ro and Virge moved up to London, remember?" Patton states with a grin. Darius sighs, pushing himself from the counter and taking a swig from his can. He shrugs.

"Let me sleep on it, huh? Until then, try 'n come up with some other ideas. You know I don't like seeing the emo one." Darius sighs, giving his brother a small smile before walking off. Patton pumps his fist gently with excitement.

"Okie dokie! Get back to me on it tomorrow, please!" Patton calls after Darius. Darius throws a thumbs-up of his shoulder before retreating up to his room. Patton looks to the window, smiling at the drops of silver rain pelting it's surface. This'll cheer Virgil up, surely. It gives Patton a wonderful story to work on. Most importantly, he gets to escape the Florida rain. Oh, how he hated the rain.

-

Darius stares down at a grinning, excited Patton. The look in his brother's eyes made him feel incredibly queasy. Know what's harder than diamond? Letting Patton down. Darius did NOT want to visit London. He dreaded seeing Virgil, so going out of his way to visit seems silly. Nevertheless, Patton urged him to go. Now he needed to give Patton an answer. 'Yes, of course I'll force myself to face my soon-to-be-married ex-boyfriend so you can write a silly story on musical theater.' or 'No, why would I undergo something mildly painful to make the light of my goddamn life happy? That's crazy-talk Patton, of course I won't sacrifice something for you.'

This was an incredibly difficult decision, naturally. Darius breathes in deeply, closing his eyes and bring a hand to the top of his head, running his shaky fingers through his thick, hazel hair. He releases his breath slowly and nods to Patton.

"Fine." He says simply, grimacing at his younger brother. Patton jumps up to hug Darius who stands stiff as a board.

"Thank you D!! You're the best! I've got to tell my boys." Darius is released from Patton's tight embrace as the shorter pulls out his phone and runs out into their sunny front yard. Darius gives a small smile and sighs. He did good, in some way.

Now all he needed to worry about was Virgil. How in the world was he supposed to approach that short, dark, stormy guy? Is he the same as he was five years ago? Does he still listen to the same music? Like the same things? Hate the same people? Patton told him that Virgil was going to marry that theater kid from high-school, so obviously SOMETHING has changed. But what?

Darius shakes the thought of Virgil from his head and heads towards his room. If he was heading to London with Patton, he shouldn't think of the bad. All he needs to do now is figure out who he'll show himself off as. Who is current day Darius Picani to Virgil? Who is he to London? Darius smirks to himself at the thought as he pushes his bedroom door open.


	2. Chapter One

Patton stares up at his brother with wide, hopeful eyes, grinning widely. Golly, he really did hope that Darius would come around... It was really important to Patton to go see Roman and Virgil. He needed to write this month's story, too! Darius was staring right back down at Patton, his expression blank. Patton couldn't read him. He usually finds it easy to read another individual, but Darius' expression was unreadable. Patton shifts slightly, the silence as well as his brother's blank expression rendering him with a sense of unease. Patton notices his brother run a hand through his own hair, taking in a deep breath and releasing it. Patton begins to quiver with excitement, inwardly begging for a "yes" or an "of course". Anything but a "no", really.

"Fine," Darius says simply. A breath of relief escapes Patton, his grin widening by a good lot. He hugs his brother tightly, squealing with excitement.

"Thank you D!! You're the best!" Patton exclaims, releasing his brother. He digs a hand into his pocket and pulls out his phone, still just as excited as he was a moment ago. He smiles up at his brother, "I've got to tell my boys." Patton says happily, waving his phone a bit before speeding off to their front door and out into their front lawn.

Patton was practically dancing in his place as Virgil's phone rang. A click sounds through the speaker and Patton's breath catches in his throat.

"...hello-"

"VIRGIL!!" Patton squeals into the phone, a goofy grin painted on his face. A frightened yelp emits from Virgil's end in response, causing Patton to giggle a bit.

"Again, Pat? Seriously? Goodness, gracious," Virgil hisses, "You really need to cut that out, you know?"

"Yeah... I can't help it though! It's exciting to hear your voice, kiddo." Patton responds sweetly, eliciting a laugh out of Virgil.

"I doubt that, man. Anyways, did you need something?"

"As a matter of fact, I do! Guess what I just discussed with Darius, Virge!!" Patton says excitedly.

"Uhh, 'dunno. I don't particularly care, either. You know I don't like that guy, Patton." Virgil responds. Patton furrows his brow and gives an irritated groan.

"Oh, come on! You could've at least tried... I know you don't like him all that much, but I'm sure you'll love the news." Patton responds, whining slightly. Virgil sighs.

"Get on with it then, Patton. What's the thrilling news?" Virgil questions softly.

"I talked it over with Darius, and we've decided to visit London! We'll sort out the nitty-gritty details later, but I'm hoping to get down there as soon as possible. I've got set up an interview, plane tickets, somewhere to stay, funds--"

"You're actually coming down to see us, Patton?" Virgil whispers excitedly, his voice shaky. Patton laughs and smiles fondly, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand.

"I sure am, kiddo!" He responds. Patton hears Virgil call out to Roman from his side of the phone before he hears Virgil set the phone down. Patton chuckles to himself as he hears a loud, excited yell from Virgil's end.

"Oh, Padre!!" A rich voice purrs, excitement laced between each syllable. Patton perks up at what could only be Roman's voice.

"Oooh, Ro!! I've missed you so much, kiddo!" Patton cries.

"Who wouldn't?" Roman responds with a chuckle, "Speaking of missing me, a little birdie told me you were coming down to visit... Is this true?"

"Yes, well, it's strictly on business Roman," Patton says, clearing his throat.

"Oh, really?" Roman says with a chuckle, "And what might that business be, Patton?"

"Well, funny you should ask me that question, Roman! I've got to work on my column in my local paper, as that is my job, and I'm flying down to interview an especially talented individual. An aspiring theatre star, if I may." Patton says, biting back a grin.

"Why-- Who might that be?" Roman says, his voice sharpening slightly. Patton giggles to himself.

"A young man by the name of, uh..." Patton pauses for a moment, "Roman Prince? I think? You've probably never heard of him, but he's got the stuff to make it in that theatre industry."

"Oh, well, of course, it was me! Who else would it have been?" Roman says with a shaky laugh, an apparent breath of relief escaping him, "In any case, I'd be glad to have you interview me! I'm sure your readers will learn a thing or two from my theatrical expertise, after all." He finishes.

"Of course they will, Ro! You're quite the star. Anyways, I've got to be going... My bags don't pack themselves, you know. Give Virge some love for me!" Patton says with a smile. Roman snickers lightly.

"Oh, I'll make sure to do that, padre." He purrs to Patton.

"Bye-bye Roman! I can't wait to see you!"

"Good day to you, too," Roman responds before hanging up. Patton smiles to himself, shoving his phone into his pocket and looking up into the sky. Florida was rather hot today, but it was far drier than yesterday. He appreciated that. Roman was a bit less eccentric than he remembered, but maybe that was because they were communicating over the phone. Whatever the reason for that may be, it didn't matter to Patton. He heads inside with a smile, the house's cool air pouring onto him as he opens the creaky old screen door. He takes a deep breath in as he steps onto the cool tile floor right inside his doorway.

Shutting the door behind himself, he announces his entry to Darius and heads to his room. It was the first bedroom to the right of their kitchen, which Patton thought appropriate as he basically lived in the kitchen. Darius' was two doors down, the door separating them being their "living closet". He entered his room and was greeted by a mild, yet sweet, scent of lavender.

"So, guess you'll be without me for a little while. room." Patton says aloud as if speaking to his bedroom. He pauses as if waiting for a response, and when he receives none, he grins, "I know you'll miss me, but I need to do this. Papa will be back soon enough, 'kay?"

Patton nods to the silences and turns to his closet. It was rather small, but it was filled to the brim with an even mixture of polos, khakis, cardigans, sweaters, and band t-shirts. There were a few skirts peppered in between, but he rarely wore them. They were more to amuse Virgil and appease Roman, as the latter once insisted that Patton dress that way. He found it "cute". Patton never minded, for he thought skirts to be both comfortable and attractive. He pulls a few outfits from the clothing rack, including those polos and khakis, and grabs his "Owl City" and "My Chemical Romance" tees. A pair of jeans and a cat hoodie are thrown onto his bed to complete the heaping pile of clothes. It was way too much, but Patton didn't want to underpack. Too much is better than not enough, after all. He grabs a large travel bag from under his bed, his closet left wide open, and throws his clothes into the bag. There was no logic or method in his packing... He just threw clothes in at random and zipped up his bag. Good enough, right?


	3. Chapter Two

Darius glares at his closet's closed doors, gripping an empty suitcase tightly. Goodness, how he regretted agreeing to his Brother's nonsense. This trip was pointless. Couldn't Patton find a thespian in the area? Who was he to London? To Virgil? He didn't care. He just didn't want to go. Would Patton be happy with this? No. Darius doesn't care, though. How quickly his heart changes. Yeah, sure, if he was heading off to London with Patton he shouldn't be thinking of the bad... But he was thinking of the bad.

What if that damn emo ruins something? His ex had the tendency to do that, ruin things. He ruined a perfectly good relationship. He ruined his own sense of style and, most importantly, he rid himself of everything that made him unique. Dating Darius made Virgil's life chaotic in the best way possible, but he just didn't understand that. Or did he just not care? Darius groans and drops the suitcase, turning to his door and throwing it open. He wasn't going to risk Virgil ruining something.

"Patton," Darius calls out as he shuffles to Patton's room, "Patt, don't pack up yet." He grumbles into the closed door before knocking. He hears a soft thud from the other side as well as a sharp gasp. After a moment the doorknob turns sharply and the door swings open to reveal a grinning Patton.

"Haha, whoops... Already finished packing. What's up, buckaroo?" Patton asks, leaning against his doorframe.

"We can't go down to London. I've changed my mind." Darius says flatly, glancing to the side. Patton tenses up and stays silent for a moment. That silence. That silence hurt Darius, just a bit. It said everything he knew Patton wouldn't. Patton's disappointed. Upset. Hurt. Angry, even. Does Patton hate Darius for this? Maybe.

"Oh, uh... Why not?" Patton asks softly, tilting his head. Darius stares at Patton's saddened smile. That wasn't remotely fair, him smiling like that. Darius shakes his head and smiles widely at Patton. He hated smiling.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding... I just, uh, needed to tell you to figure out how we're getting there. Plane tickets, and all that. I don't care when we go, but I prefer to get to London in the evening. The cloak of darkness is the only safety I have." Darius continues to feign a grin of amusement, causing Patton to laugh slightly.

"Oh, really? You got me good, I guess! Sure thing, I'll look into tickets and such... Just make sure to get your stuff packed up." Patton pipes with an excited voice. Darius gives a nod before turning and heading off to his own room once more. He hears Patton's door shut gently behind him. His mouth stretches into a frustrated scowl as he returns to his own bedroom, slamming the door behind himself. He was supposed to be assertive, wasn't he? Stand his ground. What did he do though?

"Damn it, man." Darius grumbles, swiping his empty suitcase back up from the ground and tossing it carelessly onto his unmade bed. He slides his closet open and glares at his wardrobe. He's gotten softer since Virgil left him, hasn't he? It's silly to think that something so inconsequential would affect Darius so much, yet he can't help but suspect it to be true. The lad grabs a handful of turtlenecks from the very back of his closet and carries them to his suitcase, folding each one gingerly and placing them in gently. This bag needed to stay organized, as he couldn't worry about anything more. He returns to his closet for pants when he hears a gentle knocking at his door. Patton.

"What is it, Patt?" Calls Darius, sifting through his closet for "good" pants.

"I found a few options for flying, and I booked us a cheap hotel room. You wanna take a look?" His brother replies softly. Darius groans, flinging a pair of jeans onto his bed before approaching his door. He tugs it open, a loud creak sounding from it's old metal hinges.

"Sure, why not. What's the cheapest option we've got?" Darius asks, tilting his head slightly. Patton turns his cat-cased phone to Darius, giving a small and proud grin.

"Well, I was thinking--"

"Oh, perfect. We'll do that one, then. Thanks Patton." Darius interjects, nodding at the phone and going to close his door. Patton scoffs, planting a hand on the door and holding it open.

"Darius! You didn't even look at the screen." Patton whines, glaring up at Darius. He snickers, ruffling his younger brother's hair and shrugging.

"Yes, well, I don't care. It's what is cheapest, so it'll do. Period. I'm going to finish up packing now, if you don't mind." Darius responds nonchalantly, forcing the door shut against Patton. A groan of annoyance rings from the opposite side of the door, causing Darius to snicker.

\-------

Patton narrows his eyes at the door, giving a huff as the lock clicks. Darius was being really, really rude for no reason. Pat just wanted him to take a look at their options, but no. Darius didn't care. With a defeated sigh, Patton turns away from the door and heads for the kitchen once again. If Darius didn't care, then Patton would have to care a little extra. That's perfectly fine, he knew how to do that. He glances down at his phone and decides to book the cheapest flight, like Darius wanted, then opens up a new browsing tab. He needed to know how many local food places there were. Patton had his fingers crossed with the hopes of a little cafe, and his wants were met with not one, but two of them!

"Oh, how lovely..." Patton murmurs, smiling to himself. They had nice ratings, too. Patton bookmarks the page before shutting his phone off and giving a satisfied hum. He and Darius would head off on Monday morning, and hopefully they'd arrive the same evening and stop by a cafe for food! How quaint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out official art on Deviantart! The account handle is "LogicalityStan" <3


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